Working on a farm is hard work!

I have the best friends! Between phone calls, comments, and discussing it at Monday sewing, I now have quite a few suggestions on how to attempt to deal with Murphy's new anxiety issue. I do want to start by checking with the vet to see exactly what medication she has, and then we are going to start investigating. 

She slept outside last night, but when I got up (the door was still open), she came in on her own and is now ensconced in her (Lexi's) raised dog bed beside me in the office. So there is hope! And last night, she seemed a bit more like her usual self and wanted to play, although we have banned playing ball, which she is NOT happy about. 

She seems quite content to be in the house with me and did wander in a few times more than usual yesterday. All is looking good!

I don't know if I have ever pieced anything so intense as Down on the Farm! I love the blocks, but boy oh boy, there are a lot of pieces, and while everything is well labeled in the pattern, I'm not so good at labeling when I cut. I'm pretty good at deciphering it. It is just slow. 

And now I have the next block done. This means that eight of the 12 blocks are complete. There are three sheep, two cows, and one horse. 

The eighth block

It wasn't until I was done with the block and hung it up that I realized that I had made all the animals in that group white! 

It never even occurred to me to make a black sheep, although he would have lost his ears and feet definition. But the horse? Why did I make a grey horse? 

So - I think I'm going to take a break from sewing new blocks today to fix what I have. Remember in the top row, there are two horses? 

Two horses in the top row

I am going to swap the brown horse for the grey horse, and that will make me feel better. I also decided to completely remake the turtle, and if I can get those two rows together today, then I would be happy. 

It's not that it's a big deal to have all those white animals, but when the two pasture blocks are together, that is a LOT of white animals in one spot. It won't be a big deal to move them around. And I need to stitch on some antennae for the butterfly. It just needs it. 

The two pasture blocks

So tidying up the first eight blocks will be the objective of today. I'm also happy to report that the next two blocks are cut out and waiting to be sewn. Yep—not a single label on any of those pieces!!! I'm my own worst enemy!!! But there are MANY shapes, sizes, and colors - it would require a LOT of labels. I'm lazy!

The next two blocks are cut.

I may just bite the bullet and cut the remaining two blocks today as well. Then I can just sew. I'll see how the day progresses. 

There is so much going on in the quilt, and it really is a fun one! I also have the beach-themed quilt from Sew Fresh Quilts, but I need to get back to my planned projects. I suspect it's going to take most of this week to finish off those final four blocks. Then I'll need to decide on what border to put on it. Do I have any farm fabric left? Yes — I do, so I'll need to dig that out and see if any of it works. I have one in mind, but I'm not sure if I have enough of it. But that's not a job for today. 

I also have two small projects that I MUST get done today. And then there is the long arm that needs to be reassembled, a couple of sewing tables that also need to be assembled, the T-shirt quilt needs assembly, and so on. The list is long, and this was supposed to be my "down" month. We are four days into August, and I have barely sat in the gazebo. 

I made some progress on the puzzle last night. 

Progress on the puzzle

I put in a few extra pieces after this picture was taken, but yep—that is a lot of blue/green pieces! Just more than one hundred. Yep - I counted them - I'm a Virgo - I needed to! And the pieces in this puzzle are the same shape, but are randomly cut. Hmm - I need to learn the puzzle lingo. 

Wait =- I just found this on Google. 

Names of puzzle pieces

OK - based on this, all the pieces are Hs. Where do the last two pieces get their names? Some of those don't make sense. 

The actual names of the shapes of a puzzle piece? We have tabs (knobs/noses) and blanks (sockets/holes/notches) for the innies and outies on a puzzle piece. The straight edges along the outside are called edges, and the corners are called corners. It sounds super easy! I think there are other names depending on who you chat to, or perhaps I'm making that up!

Now I'm all set when I have a serious talk with a puzzler! 

I've heard a few house creaks since Murphy came inside to sleep, and so far, she's sound asleep in her raised bed. Someone had suggested that her sound sensitivity was due to her pain, and that could definitely be a factor. Perhaps with her increased activity last evening and coming in this morning, she is feeling better? 

I also sat outside with her last night before I went to bed, and we had a heart-to-heart chat. I told her how much we loved her and that it was OK to feel the way she did, but we were here for her. Maybe I need to have a serious chat with her more often to let her know that she is loved. Hmmm.

Dogs are very sensitive, and we need to let them talk to us and us to them! 

I also have some paperwork I need to get back to this morning. And a reminder that if you want to sign up for any classes, be sure to send me an email. Here is the link to the classes, and be sure to forward it to anyone you think will be interested. I will start assembling the distribution lists next week and send out a note to ensure that I got everyone who has signed up so far. 

And on that note, I'm off to the gym. I need to take a copy of my FIVE pages of exercises, not the original three, so I can remember what to do and start incorporating them into my gym visits. I also feel the need to buy some new gear for the gym. Oh my—I will NOT be buying what the younger people are wearing. It's definitely a fashion show - what happened to a T-shirt and shorts? And the tighter the shorts are, the better. The more "lift" in the butt, the better. I kid you not -- that is a thing! The skimpier the top, regardless of whether the wearer has a tummy or a muffing top. So, compared to a lot of people at the gym, I'm a prude! I have a very negative body image, so I cover it up. And I'm OK with that. That is the result of many years of being called "fatty" when I was in school. That image will likely never go away, and I'm OK with that, but I need to be covered up! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!